Chapter 842

Chapter 842: Orders and Soldiers

Hearing Colonel Yang Zuo’s resigned words, Director Niu stopped speaking and instead burst into laughter, his laughter growing louder until even Colonel Yang Zuo found himself laughing inexplicably.

The airport shuttle bus filled with this bewildering laughter. If it weren’t for the communication personnel and service members behaving normally, one might suspect someone had played a prank by tossing a nitrous oxide bomb into the bus.

Surrounded on all sides, Colonel Huangfu Murong suddenly heard orders coming through the communicator in his ear, and his face transformed dramatically, deflating like a punctured balloon.

"Everyone listen up, put down your guns and regroup!"

Huangfu Murong shouted, delivering the new command issued by higher-ups.

The special forces exchanged glances, confused. What was happening? Their squad leader was still in enemy hands—were they really going to ignore that?

Seeing no one moving, Huangfu Murong’s voice grew louder: "This is an order! Everyone retreat, form up, and prepare to return to base."

He slightly turned his head, bracing against the biting cold, and said helplessly, "Major Lin Mo, you win!"

They hadn’t just hit a wall; it felt like they had stepped on a bed of nails. This Air Force major was clearly a deep pit ready to ensnare anyone who approached.

The other side was displaying overwhelming strength, forcing higher-ups to abandon the original action plan.

It was obvious that the competence of the special forces had led their superiors to think it was safer for the mission item to remain with its original owner. Although Huangfu Murong felt unwilling, there was nothing he could do.

"Is that so?"

Lin Mo replied, confused. The other side had yielded too swiftly. He had no intention of moving Longinus even a fraction. The Dragon Knight was not someone to be easily fooled with mere words.

Experiences from another world taught him that an enraged goat sometimes retreats, but not out of cowardice; it is to build strength for a fierce charge that delivers a powerful headbutt.

Whether Lin Mo believed it or not, some people did believe it.

The special forces, however, followed the order, lowering their weapons and dispersing.

The armed SUVs and light armored vehicles also withdrew, as if they did not see their squad leader still being held captive, busily forming up and preparing for retreat.

Orders were orders, soldiers were soldiers; personal honor and disgrace had no place in the ranks.

As the chill around his neck faded, Huangfu Murong felt as if he had just returned from the brink of hell, exhaling deeply. The pressure from the other side had been terrifying.

He suddenly sensed a sticky sensation on his back, and within a short time, his shirt was soaked with sweat.

"Major Lin Mo, please don’t hold a grudge about the previous misunderstanding. It was just an order from above, whether from before or now!"

From start to finish, Colonel Huangfu Murong had never viewed Lin Mo as a true enemy. Otherwise, the higher-ups would have long since issued a kill order instead of seeking compensation or appeasement.

Lin Mo did not reply, seemingly lost in thought as he leisurely paced beside Huangfu Murong. He casually swung Longinus, producing a loud crack in the air accompanied by a hiss of tearing.

Suddenly, the gun body seemed to flicker, and with a crisp sound, the four-meter gun shot forward.

Colonel Huangfu Murong’s pupils constricted slightly as he clearly saw a white fog enveloping the tip of the gun, a gust of wind sweeping across, stirring up clouds of dust.

The speed at which the spear was thrust exceeded the speed of sound.

Not having moved from his position, Huangfu Murong felt relieved that his caution had been correct. It was evident that the other side was warning him not to pull any tricks; this method was overwhelmingly powerful, likely even piercing through armored vehicles.

Was this Air Force major actually a Kung Fu master skilled with a spear? Or did this spear enhance a person’s combat power to a superhuman level? Was this the reason the higher-ups valued it so highly, considering it could produce fighting elites in bulk?

Yet when he had the weapon earlier, he hadn’t felt any change in combat power at all!

"You can go now!"

Lin Mo suddenly halted, shouldering Longinus.

He had made up his mind. Regardless of whether the military used hard or soft tactics, as long as the gold giant dragon was still trapped by the Longinus spear, he could not hand over this spear.

He could not afford the cost of losing the gold giant dragon, and the same was true for the gold giant dragon.

Heaven’s plans often outweigh human plans. Once the gold giant dragon encountered an accident, a series of chaotic mishaps followed one after another. First, it was other forces, and then his own team, as if Lin Mo had been cursed, with misfortunes piling on top of each other.

These unexpected incidents left the Dragon Knight overwhelmed while hinting that the Longinus in his hands was indeed something extraordinary.

Initially, Lin Mo hadn’t thought much about bringing it back safely from America. However, judging from the eagerness of the Church and the Chinese military to obtain this spear, there was surely some unknown secret behind this "extraordinary" item.

"We’ll meet again! Major Lin Mo!"

Colonel Huangfu Murong, having laid his burdens to rest, held no resentment toward Lin Mo for what had just happened. Being outclassed in skill left little room for complaint.

If it weren’t for duty, he would never have intentionally provoked such a formidable warrior.

"Not seeing you!"

The Dragon Knight maintained his cold and unpleasant attitude, clearly indicating that this incident had left a very bad impression on the military high-ups.

Had the other side not abandoned their mission, Lin Mo might have launched a more serious counterattack, leading to tremors that would involve more than just him and the special forces.

A few days later, to Lin Mo’s complete surprise, a department called "relevant department" suddenly emerged, issuing a formal statement to him. They took responsibility for the misunderstanding and offered a solemn apology.

Indeed, this department was really called "relevant department," but what it was "relevant to" remained unknown. The only certainty was that this department genuinely existed.

At the very least, no one dared to come up with such a bizarre name on a formal pentagram document, then stamp it on a letter meant for internal military circulation.

This strange explanation left the Dragon Knight at a loss for words, torn between laughter and tears.

Watching Huangfu Murong and the special forces team along with all the vehicles leave the airport, Lin Mo finally lowered his guard and let out a sigh of relief. Shouldering Longinus, he took steady strides, not looking back as he left this contentious place.

"Is being ignorant truly a blessing or a curse?"

From the airport shuttle bus, Director Niu watched Lin Mo openly walk away with Longinus, chuckling bitterly as he put down his binoculars.

It was easy to imagine the fate that awaited this incredibly precious Longinus.

Clothes drying poles… fishing rods… full gain antennas… Luoyang shovels… hunting rifles… barbecue forks…

In short, a variety of unimaginable tasks would leave this otherworldly weapon far from unemployed.

This was truly a waste.

However, Director Niu from the "relevant department" and Colonel Yang Zuo from the special forces found themselves powerless to intervene.

Unless they truly wanted to flip the situation and expose the matter, relying solely on military force would not be enough to take the spear, given the identity and background of the other side were not so easy to challenge.

Persuade with respect, move with emotion?

Did they not see those who argued still lying low?

They had no idea how to clean up this mess.

…

The Dragon Knight’s strength exceeded the capacity of the special forces and the expectations of the original plan, forcing what seemed like a routine armed pickup mission to end without incident.

The acting party was helpless, unable to take down a single squad, which was quite embarrassing. Yet, from another perspective, it seemed safer to place this matter in the hands of the Air Force major.

The decision-making among the military high-ups evolved into a strategic game, no longer impacting Major Lin Mo’s smooth return to Jianqiao Military Airport.

The gold giant dragon had encountered an accident, rendered completely unresponsive within the Longinus spear. Fortunately, the X-8 "monstrous" variable wings fighter jet remained intact, and many upgraded high-tech functional modules had replaced most of the abilities that Gold Coin once possessed, ensuring Lin Mo and the "monstrous" fighter jet’s combat effectiveness was not significantly affected.

This result, anticipated by the Dragon Knight long ago, proved that the giant dragon was not easily controllable. If one day something went awry and it staged a strike, without the strong restraint of the dragon flute, the Dragon Knight would be left helpless, merely sitting idle.

Removing the dust cover from the "monstrous" fighter jet, Lin Mo opened the cockpit and secured the sample and materials of the Hydrogen-Oxygen Decomposition Tank he brought from America in the backseat.

Lin Mo’s primary concern was the four-meter-long Longinus spear. Checking it in for transport or leaving it in Jianqiao Air Base would surely result in the higher-ups easily swiping it. The only reason they hadn’t acted on this was that no one could take Longinus from Lin Mo at this moment, leading to a situation where, for the time being, they could only muddle through.

After circling the X-8 "monstrous" variable wings fighter jet several times, contemplating for a while, Lin Mo found a way to secure the four-meter spear to the back of the cockpit without overly affecting the aerodynamic layout.

The transformation of the fighter jet resembled a backward slanted dorsal spike, and for an aircraft that was neither a passenger plane nor a transport aircraft, this was the best solution.

The fighter jet, now sporting a little tail, was striking and might leave some wondering if it was an incredible secret weapon.

In fact, the addition of this largely ineffective cold weapon to the fighter jet held little significance beyond that.